California Baptist University
8-22,7-9WAC
UT Arlington
28-2,16-0WAC
CBU's Upset Bid Falls Short as the Season Concludes in Arlington
11/22/2024 11:19:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
ARLINGTON, TX--- The California Baptist University volleyball nearly pulled off the dramatic upset in the Conference Semifinals but came up short in five sets to top-seeded UT Arlington on Friday evening.
A season of dramatic ups and downs concludes for CBU as the Lancers finished 8-22 overall and 7-9 in conference play. No team played more consistent volleyball down the stretch of the season than the CBU Lancers, as they closed the season as winners of seven of their last ten matches and earned the program's first-ever win in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament. CBU came as close as any team has to knocking off the #1 UT Arlington Mavericks, taking them to five sets on their home floor, which only one other team has done this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
CBU put the Mavericks on upset alert early with a dominating showing in the opening set. After an early error, CBU rattled off five straight points before UTA would match the run to tie the game at five apiece. The set would go back and forth for several minutes before a crucial Reese Reed service run would give CBU a burst of momentum. The service run scored three in a row for the Lancers and would open the floodgates for the visiting team to score 12 of the following 15 points. CBU would go on to win 25-16, tying the largest point differential in a home set this season for UTA.
The Mavericks did not take long to dust themselves off after the set one defeat, as they would flip the script in the second frame. The Mavericks led by as many as ten points in the set and would tie the match at one apiece following the 25-18 result. CBU showed no signs of backing down following the set two defeat and would open up a quick 11-6 victory in the third period to force a Maverick timeout. The Mavericks would never sniff the lead in the frame as the Lancers would showcase excellent offensive efficiency en route to the 25-15 win, the largest disparity against UTA at the College Park Center this season
The epic match continued into a fourth set where neither team seemed willing to let the other dominate like the previous. Multiple lead changes, ties, and scoring runs peppered the fourth set as the two squads engaged in a battle at the net. CBU trailed by three at 21-18 but would rattle off four straight points to take a 22-21 lead and force UT Arlington into a timeout. The Mavericks came out of the timeout with a pair of kills but followed it up with an error to tie the set at 23 apiece. Arlington would get to the set point first, but another error would force the frame into extra points. An ace by Madison Gilliland would give CBU set point, but the Mavericks would survive the upset attempt by scoring three straight to send the match into a crucial fifth set.
Fifth sets have not been kind to the Lancers this season, with CBU going 0-6 in matches that go the distance this season. Unfortunately for the visitors, it was the same result as the Mavericks, who would hold serve on their home court and take the final frame 15-10 to advance to the Championships match against #2 Grand Canyon. Â
STATISTICAL NOTABLES:
Eliana Posada stepped up big for the Lancers in the semifinal, posting 16 kills on a terrific .412 hitting percentage and adding two blocks on the defensive end. Nicole Mauser and Kali Wolf each had ten kills in the loss, and Wolf would chip in seven digs and two blocks.
Mia Jerue's excellent season concludes by adding three more aces to her season totals, giving her 55 this season, which sets a new single-season NCAA-era program for the Lancers. Amanda Darling also concludes her incredible graduate season as the WAC Libero of the Year and posted 19 digs and six assists in her final match for CBU.
